Every Rose Has Its Thorn
by Leo of Sweden
Summary: What if Angel did not turn back time in "I will remember you.". Alternate story line for Buffy season 4, and Angel season 1.
1. Chapter 1 I will remember

**I will remember**

**This is a "what if?" scenario that I've thought about a lot for the past month, and finally I thought I should just write it down. I've written two stories about Angelus before, but this one will have Angel and Buffy as the main cast, and it will take place both in Sunnydale with the Scooby gang and in LA with Angel investigations. **

**It begins with the episode "I will remember." and follows what I think could have happened if Sarah and David actually had gotten their wish fulfilled by Joss Whedon. Namely that this ep actually doesn't end with an extremely irritating time-slip(which made SMG cry in frustration), but instead ends with them finally being able to be together. But with Angel having to deal with being a human, though I will work in a few problems into that "human" state as well, because of the many other aspects-of-the-demon he could have gotten from the Mohra demon. **

**The truth of the matter is that the only person who didn't want Buffy and Angel together was Joss Whedon, and even though he has a magical mind, that is something I intend to remedy. **

**So here is my take on this "What if?" scenario.**

* * *

><p>Angel stepped through the gateway and found himself in a small, white, marbled room. At the other end was another gate with what seemed to be an unending corridor, and in front of it stood the two oracles. They looked like antique statues, with curly hair and perfect shapes, but with a cold and distant look.<p>

"Come before us, lower being.", the man said, his voice dripping with contempt.

Angel looked back at the light filled gate, just as it went back to solid stone. He turned back to the oracles, thinking that this might not have been a good idea after all.

"What have you brought us?", the woman asked.

"Was I supposed to..." Angel began, but the man interrupted him.

"You call us forth and bring us no offering?", he looked as if his contempt for the simple creature had been verified.

Angel ransacked his brain, and then his thought went to his brand new watch. He took it from his wrist and held it up for them to see.

"I brought you this.".

The woman held out her hand, and the watch sprung from his own into her hand. She and the man inspected it critically before she gave him a small smile.

"I like time," she said as she held up the watch. "There's so little and so much of it.".

They stepped down from the stairs and walked closer to Angel. Making him feel uneasy as they scrutinized him.

"Well?" the man asked, his voice now neutral.

"What's happened to me?", Angel asked quickly, before they tried to take his shoes as well.

"It's true then brother." the woman said to the man, ignoring Angel. The man responded seemingly equally oblivious to Angel's question.

"He's no longer a warrior.".

"It was the demons blood. It wasn't the Powers That Be that did this?". He looked up at the oracles, vary of their icy stares.

"The Powers That Be.", the man repeated disgusted. "Did you save humanity? Avert the apocalypse?".

"You faced the Mohra demon, life goes on." The woman added with a smile as she continued to circle Angel.

"My life as a human? I'm not poisoned or under some spell?".

The man watched him suddenly curious, and the woman held up her hand and looked as if she was talking to someone else.

"The auguries say no, but you are not human. What happened it was meant to be.".

"Not human, then what am I?".

"You will live as any mortal man." the man answered, and the woman continued. "Privy to all the attendant pain and, pleasures. Though time will not be your doom.".

"So I'm not mortal?", Angel tried to wrap his head around the concept. He was alive, but he wouldn't die like anyone else.

"The strength of the old demon has left you, the powers of the new one are in your blood.", the woman started to walk away.

"That which we serve is no longer that what you serve.". The man gave him a small nod as if he wanted to thank Angel for his service. "You are released from your fealty.".

And so they both walked through the opposite archway.

"That's it?" Angel asked them, completely perplexed by their cryptic answers. "I'm free?".

The man simply waved with one hand, and Angel felt himself being thrown backwards through the archway behind him, and through the light. He landed on Doyle, who seemed confused by seeing Angel.

"Hey, it didn't work?" he asked as he helped Angel back on his feet.

"Yes it did.".

"You just when in this instant.", Doyle looked from the gate to Angel, and back.

"What?", Angel thought he must have been there at least a few minutes.

"Look at your watch.".

"Ha, I can't do that Doyle, next time remind me to bring a gift.". Angel was still a little pissed, that watch had cost fifty bucks.

"Knew I had forgotten something.", Doyle muttered. "So what happened? What did they say?".

"They're a little confusing but, it's real. I'm free.".

"I can't believe this.". Doyle was still watching Angel sceptically.

"Me neither. But they said something about the power of the demon runs in my veins.".

"What did they mean by that?", Doyle's mind was suddenly filled by a green Angel in a samurai costume.

"No idea, but the essence is that I'm free. Now I've got this whole new life spread out before me." he paused and looked back at the still skeptical Doyle. "I don't know where to begin.".

"Right, its overwhelming." he answered a little sarcastically, trying to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do with his life now. "You kan do pretty much whatever you want now. So the question is; what do you want?".

Angel looked back, his mind already racing with all the things he wanted to do. Finding Buffy and eating ice cream was definitely on top of the list. So he stormed out, leaving a lost looking Doyle behind.

"Now what am _I_ supposed to do?", he muttered as he slowly followed Angel out into the streets.

* * *

><p>This was definitely awkward.<p>

Angel had found Buffy, and in the spur of the moment he had grabbed her and given way to all his restrained emotions in the most amazing kiss he had ever experienced. And Buffy seemed to have been so completely stunned by the sudden kiss that she hadn't even had time to ask him how he could walk in the sun all of a sudden.

The kiss had been nice. But now they found themselves on opposite sides of his kitchen table, drinking tea, and trying their best to figure out what to say. For lack of anything to do, Angel decided to pour himself more tea.

"Would you like some more?" he asked carefully, holding up the kettle for Buffy.

"No.", She answered quickly, adding a "thank you" as he put the kettle back down.

The silence dragged on, and finally Angel couldn't hold it back any longer.

"I'm really sorry I kissed you like that.".

"You are?", Buffy seemed even sadder by his sudden outburst.

"Not for the kiss itself," he tried to explain, feeling he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Good.", Buffy answered, visibly relieved. When she realized this she tried to explain. "Cause, as far as kisses go I thought it was well above average.".

"It was incredible," Angel said before he could stop himself. "It's just, I... I think, maybe we'd be asking for trouble rushing back into things. Not that I don't want to rush, believe me.".

"Right." Buffy agreed, trying to muster up some self control. Was he really going to spoil everything with his stupid logic? "I mean you spoke to the oracles, and they did say that you were cured for good.".

Angel had not revealed the thing they had said about him taking on the aspect of the demon, and he didn't know if it wasn't exactly what was happening now that did it. Maybe the whole eternity thing was just some bogus the demon had made up, he seemed to have died easily enough.

"But how do we know they really speak for the powers?" she continued, trying her best not to throw the tea cup at his head for putting her through this. "I mean, they could be... Pranksters.".

"Or there could be another loophole." Angel added nodding, trying to figure out why Buffy was clenching her cup so hard.

"Exactly, and then the two of us are in even deeper, and its "grr" all over again.".

"Would be smart to wait a while." Angel agreed, looking everywhere but at the girl sitting three feet away from him. "See if this mortal thing takes.". He was really getting annoyed at his own stupid logic.

"Exactly.", Buffy gave him a smile at the thought of him finally being a human, but soon tried to cover it up. "And even if it does it's still complicated.".

"You're still the slayer, and I'm not sure what I am now. I don't know what my purpose is.", he looked into the distant future, and for the first time in many years he was drawing a blank. "I can't just wedge myself back into your life in Sunnydale, it wouldn't be good for either of us.".

Here it comes, she thought. He was back to the sewer talk, thinking everything he did was for her, even though she always said that all she ever wanted was to simply _be_ with him. Now she could have so much more, and he was on full roll to drop everything they could have out of some stupid fear of her getting hurt. Which was equally parts sweet, and irritating.

"Not to mention the fact that you just started college, and what about slaying. If you had me to worry about you might not be as focused.", Angel's rant went on.

"Are you going to pull out a pie chart on me now?", Buffy asked, unable to take more logic reasons for not being happy. "Cause I get it, it's not necessary.". She swallowed the lump in her throat, and bit back the tears of anger.

Angel rose from his chair, trying to figure out what to say to her as he sat down on the chair right beside her.

"I'm not saying I don't want you Buffy, you know how much...". But she looked away from him and shifted away in her seat as well. "I'm just saying, it's worth the wait to know that it's right. I need to be sure you won't get hurt again.".

He felt as if he had nothing left he could say, and if he tried he was afraid that the sadness in her eyes might make him change his mind.

"You know it's a good thing I didn't fantasize about you turning human only about ten zillion times." she stood up and walked over to the kitchen stove. "Cause today would have been a real let down.".

She leaned on the stove, and tried to marshal her will again as she stared at the ceiling, determined not to cry.

"So how does the mature plan go?" she asked sarcastically. "You call me, I call you, what?".

"We stay in touch.", Angel agreed, and he stood up to stand beside her. "Just not...".

"Literally." she finished. "Funny. OK, I better...".

"Right," he breathed heavily. "Remove the temptation.".

"So we'll talk soon?", she asked, and out of old habit placed her hand on his.

That little touch was, in the end, too much for both of them. They both looked down on their suddenly entwined hands, and then back into each others eyes. A few seconds passed, and then Angel let his hand drift up along her arm, until it came to rest on her back, and then they were kissing with all the passion only possible by star struck lovers. And everything after that was a blur of kissing, some pretty interesting sexual positions and for some reason an excess of food.

* * *

><p>Angel stepped out of bed to get something to drink, thinking to himself how all this human stuff was completely new, when suddenly Doyle came razing down the steps. He began to talk, but Angel quickly hushed him and they stepped away from the bedroom door.<p>

"That Mohra demon regenerated more than just you.", Doyle said, out of breath and having an almost frantic look on his face.

"What?". Angel suddenly got a bad feeling, he knew that whatever the demon could do might affect him.

"I had a vision. It regenerated itself.".

"Where?", Angel began pacing up and down, trying to figure out his next move.

"In the tunnel where you fought it. Then it was in some kind of factory, I thought it tasted like salt." Doyle answered, and added. "Could have been the margarita."

"It needs a lot of salt to live.", Angel agreed, still pacing. He chose to ignore the margarita thing.

"It was very much alive in this vision.", Doyle added, trying not to freak out as a demon who was supposed to be dead had come back to life again. "And angry if I might mention.".

"I'll have to kill it again.", Angel answered, trying to sound as calm as possible, and it granted him an immediate, doubting look from Doyle.

"Yeah, but you're human now. They released you.".

"You want to let that thing roam free?" Angel asked as he began to put his clothes on.

"But if it can regenerate itself, how can you kill it?", Doyle asked, trying his best to point out the obvious flaw in Angel's plan.

"We'll figure it out. Just grab the book of Kelsor. I'll drive.".

But Doyle didn't move, and he glanced from Angel to the bedroom door.

"Doyle?", Angel asked as he noticed that he hadn't moved.

"Don't you think we aught to bring someone... Supernatural?", He asked, glancing at the bedroom door again.

Angel moved over to where he stood and looked at the sleeping Buffy. And he had never seen anyone as happy and content in his entire life.

"Don't you want to wake the girl?", Doyle whispered, glancing nervously at Angel.

"Not for the world.", Angel whispered back as he shook his head.

* * *

><p>OK, so going after the demon without Buffy seemed like a bad idea now, Angel thought as he ducked under another of Mohra's swings with the flail. He didn't have time to think much else as the flail smashed through the wooden lid over some kind of container, and he and Mohra burst through and landed in the dust.<p>

Now it seemed like a really bad idea.

Mohra put his foot on Angel's back and began to talk in a raspy voice.

"The end of days has begun and cannot be stopped.". He drew another sword from his belt and held it ready for the killing blow. "For everyone of us that falls, ten shall rise.".

And as if she was an angel from the heavens, Buffy suddenly jumped into the pit and landed a kick on Mohra's back, sending him rolling across the floor. She grabbed the sword he had dropped and gave him a murderous gaze.

"You've hurt my boyfriend.", she hissed angrily, gripping the sword tighter.

"A great darkness is coming.", he rasped back, letting his flail swish through the air at an incredible speed.

"You've got that right.", Buffy deadpanned.

The following sword fight was an amazing example of Buffy's skill, as she easily blocked and countered every attack Mohra made. She even began taunting him, knowing how much it frustrated all demons.

"Come on! Is_ this _the great warrior of darkness?".

She didn't even seem to be needing the sword as she sent Mohra flying into the wall several times with her deadly kicks. But he was stronger than she thought and grabbed one of her fists and sent her flying into the wall, he then grabbed her throat and held her up for Angel to see.

"Together you were powerful, but alone you are dead.", he hissed in her ear, and smashed her head into the wall. "What do you think of the great warrior now?".

"Little bland. Eat salt.", Angel said as he rose up and tossed a handful of salt in Mohra's eyes. As the demon screamed in pain he grabbed Mohra and threw him away from Buffy.

She gave him a quick smile of gratitude, and then almost dropped her chin as she saw that his wounds had already healed and he seamed to be back in full health.

"The jewel Buffy," he whispered to her as he and Buffy circled Mohra as he got up and eyed them suspiciously. "You have to smash the jewel, I distract him and you do it.".

"OK honey.", she agreed, and grabbed the flail from the ground.

Angel launched himself at Mohra and managed to throw him on his back, and as he remembered all his marshal arts techniques he rolled over Mohra and smashed his head back against the ground. Buffy was already looming over them, and with a perfectly aimed swing she hit the jewel with the flail. Mohra's face immediately began to erupt and distort as a bright light shone from the jewel and from inside his body, and within seconds he had disappeared.

"You are alright!" Buffy shouted to Angel, somewhere between a question and a statement. "How?".

"The Oracle's said that I would get the power of the demon. And that the power runs through my veins.", Angel answered as he checked his body for the bruises and cuts that had been there only moments before. "Mohra regenerates himself, so I must have gotten that power too. And it seems to be healing pretty fast.".

Buffy extended one hand and touched the spot where there had been a nasty cut, but where there was only smooth skin now. And then she swung her arms around his neck and gave him a deep, long kiss.

Above them Doyle was grinning as he watched them kiss. Then he walked away from the pit, momentarily forgetting that they might actually need his help to get out of it. He whistled happily to himself as he walked back to the office, he had to tell Cordelia that Angel investigations was back in business.

* * *

><p>"Please repeat that because I'm not sure I follow.", Xander said to Buffy. They were all gathered at Giles's place because Buffy had wanted to tell them something important.<p>

"What part?", Buffy asked, trying not to be offended by the equally stunned and unbelieving gazes that met her from her friends.

"The whole thing actually, if it's not too much trouble?". He looked around at the others, and their equally baffled gazes.

"So Angel is human now?", Willow asked carefully, knowing all to well how touchy Buffy could be when it came to the subject of her ex, or rather boyfriend again.

"We don't know. He says some oracles told him he was still immortal, only that he's actually living and breathing.". Buffy answered, trying to keep a calm composure. She wasn't thrilled at all by their reaction. She had at least expected Willow to show some kind of positive reaction.

"Did he say this before or after you had sex?", Xander asked bluntly, never one to miss an opportunity to criticize Angel.

"Before.", Buffy answered, a dark glint flashing in her eyes as she stared back at Xander.

"Cause we all know how good Angelus is at playing us.", Xander continued, but Buffy cut him short with a an angry outburst.

"It's really Angel. OK?", She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Calm down Buffy," Giles said soothingly, trying to damper the bad mood in the room. "We all just want to know that it's not just some evil trick. So you say he's alive, but he's still not human, is that correct?".

Buffy gave Xander a last burning glare, before she turned back to Giles and nodded.

"He says this Mohra demon's blood mixed with his, and it gave him some powers. He can walk in the sun now, but he's not as strong as he was. Instead all his wounds heal within seconds, even the really bad ones only need a few minutes to heal.". She saw how Giles seemed to loose himself in his thoughts. Then he looked back up again.

"We've seen this before Buffy, with you." he stated as he walked over to his bookshelf, and started to search for his book describing the demonic assassins. "When you gained the power to read thoughts.".

"Yeah, that was... Creepy.", Xander muttered as he remembered how they had to find someone who wanted to poison them all, and how Buffy had heard every unwanted thought he had.

"Yeah, not one of my best days.", Buffy agreed as she sat down on the couch next to Willow.

"So you're really back together again?", Willow asked, her face finally lighting up as she was assuming her role of best friend again. "That's great.".

"Yeah," Buffy agreed, smiling a little embarrassed. "Feels kinda nice to not have the "problem" hanging over our heads the whole time. Ehm... You know what I mean.". She tried to hide her blushing face in her hands, and then stood up to stand beside Giles.

"He's decided to stay in LA, help fight the evil over there with Cordelia and that Doyle guy.", she was most anxious to hear his thoughts on the matter as it was Giles who had suffered the most because of her and Angel's mistakes.

Giles didn't respond, but instead took out the book of Kelsor and leafed through the pages until he found the Mohra demon.

"Is this him?", he asked as he put the book on the table, the others gathering around him.

"Yes, that's the guy, or girl for all I know.", Buffy said as she glanced at the drawing of the demon.

"Then I would say that Angel is in for a bit of a surprise if he has caught an aspect of the demon from _this_ one.". Giles said gravely.

* * *

><p><strong>Liked it? Review and let me know your thought's. Should I continue it canonical or sway a little from the given path? Should I do an Episode by episode rewrite, or more of a loose continuation where I move a little in between each ep?<strong>

**Give me a review and let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2 Who did you sell your soul to?

**Who did you sell your soul to?**

**Hi guys, I've realized that I haven't updated any of my stories for about two months now. But don't worry I'll be back on track again in the new year, and I have lots and lots of crazy stories to be told to you. So lately I have started to watch "Supernatural", and I like their darker approach to the whole monster-hunting business, so I decided to make this fanfic focus on Angel's struggles with his humanity and the darker results from his becoming human. So on the whole I will make the show darker and a little more sinister. We'll see how much Buffy's and Angel's relationship can take, and how strong they really are together.**

**So here we go with chapter two of my fanfic. **

* * *

><p>Buffy was getting worried.<p>

She had asked Xander to drive her to LA as soon as she had heard about Angel's confrontation with The Scourge, and the subsequent death of the amiable Doyle. She had been rather sad on his account, but that feeling was soon forgotten as she laid eyes on Angel. He was just sitting in his chair, staring straight ahead for hours according to Cordelia.

Cordelia, now here was something she didn't expect; a Cordy in mourning. From what she could puzzle together from between her sobs Doyle seemed to have sacrificed himself to save dozens of half-demons from some massive bomb. And before he died he had given Cordelia a kiss, something that made Xander's eyes narrow with jealousy.

But the problem with Angel didn't seem to be simply that Doyle had died, something else was on his mind. He had stopped his staring at the opposite wall, and was now rummaging through his books. Buffy slowly advanced on him as he carelessly leafed through several books on demons and spirits, and put a hand on his back.

"Angel?", She said quietly, and he stopped at her touch. "What are you doing?".

Angel turned, and looked down into her green eyes. All the events from their last meeting rushed through his head, and one memory in particular stuck out.

"I just have something I need to find.", he said evasively as he turned back to his books.

Buffy swore under her breath as she contemplated her unending bad luck. First she finds the man of her dreams, then he becomes a monster, then she has to kill him, then he comes back, then he leaves her, then they finally can be together, and barely two days after their goodbye his friend dies.

"Do you think Xander and I could help?", she asked as she took one of the books he had thrown on the table and read the title; _Ab Ovo, A tale of the beginning, and what followed. _"I think Giles has the same, I recognize the lovely black exterior with all the engraved skulls.".

"That's only the first volume,", Angel said absentmindedly as he seemed to have found what he was searching for and started to mutter under his breath. "Maybe there's more to the eternity part than I thought... What great darkness could summon this one?".

"Eehm... Guys?", Xander tried before everything turned into another one of Buffy's and Angel's legendary squabbles. "I think I'm going to get Cordelia home to her place.".

And he quickly helped her up and led her out of the office. As Buffy and Angel were now left behind alone, Buffy thought they might finally talk through whatever had happened. But to her immense frustration Angel was still running around the place in search for some untold answer to an untold question. And as she followed him downstairs to his apartment, where all the memories of the best night of her life came crashing back she finally snapped.

"That's _it!_", she said angrily and slammed _Forebodings and fantasies _shut with Angel's hand still inside. He tried not to wince but he was not as durable now without his vampire strength, and he had never had to deal with an angry Buffy without it.

"You are clearly going through some hard stuff Angel, and this time you won't shut me out. I won't allow it!". She looked up into his brown eyes, and saw the old pained expression surface in them.

"I should have been the one...", he began but Buffy put her fingers on his mouth to silence him.

"No you shouldn't, no one should have been forced to offer themselves on that thing.". She sat down on his (or was it _theirs_ nowadays?) bed and let him hold her in his arms. Even without any supernatural power (except for his lingering immortality) she knew he was still a strong and powerful man, and he had not seemed as troubled by his soul as he had been when they had parted ways.

"You couldn't have imagined it Buffy. He was burned from his insides out, the smell of blood and guts was all over the place.". Buffy was regretting her move to get him to talk already, but she knew he had to get it out. "But after the light died out there was nothing left. We couldn't even give him a decent burial.".

They continued to talk for a while, with Angel telling Buffy all about the nice little Irishman Buffy had only met so briefly. He even showed her the tape where he introduces Angel Investigations, and Angel even had a few laughs at the memory of Cordelia's rather poor work as a director. After a while they felt that there was not much more to say, and Buffy agreed that it was time to rest for a while before the next night of patrols would start.

At first it felt rather strange for them both to just lie in bed together, like they were just any regular couple. And even though Buffy had hoped for rather more than just some kissing the next time she would have seen Angel, she was strangely content to just lie there, curled up against him and listening to the steady Thump Thump of his heart. She also felt how Angel finally relaxed, and slowly drifted off into a deep sleep. She had never seen him this tired, he was clearly working just as hard as if he still had his supernatural strength and the long hours and constant fighting were clearly taking its toll on him. Giles had explained that even though he had gained the power of fast regeneration, that power was not as strong as that of a vampire. A vampire only needed some fresh blood and a few hours of rest to recover from severe wounds, and stabbings and gunshots barely stopped them for long. But Angel was now vulnerable to all of that, and his power of regeneration seemed to fade the more exhausted he got.

She was seriously wondering if it wouldn't be best if Angel either went back with her to Sunnydale where he would have to do less work on his own (and where of course he would be much closer to Buffy) or if he just expanded his business. A lone Slayer in a town of some thousands was already quite a bit of work, a lone vampire (nowadays not even that) in a city of millions seemed just futile. Maybe he could recruit some guys from the council? A real watcher to help him out would definitely improve his chances, and some more muscle to take care of business couldn't hurt either. But getting him back to Sunnydale seemed a better idea. Definitely... Preferably close to the college... So she could visit him in a purely professional manner... This was _so _going to happen...

But then her plans to break the news to Angel that he had to come back to Sunnydale with her immediately were broken by a sudden painful moan. She looked up at his face, and found to her horror that it was drained of all colour, and that his face was contorted in pain. She sat up and shook him to get him awake, but he didn't respond and now he was beginning to sweat like he was running up a very steep hill. She slapped him hard across the face, but all it did was leave an angry red mark on his cheek. The panic was gripping her as she threw herself on the phone and dialed first Cordelia and then Giles.

After about twenty minutes Cordelia and Xander burst into the bedroom, Cordelia instinctively gave Buffy an angry glance as she was sure this was all somehow her fault, and then her gaze went to Angel. He was still laying there as if he was dying from some strange disease, his face pale and sweaty and his body shivering even though Buffy had covered him in thick blankets. And the worst part was that he still hadn't opened his eyes. This reminded them all of the time he had been poisoned by Faith, and that made Buffy rush up to them with panic in her eyes.

"I think he's dying.", she said as tears streamed down her face. "I don't know how it happened. He was just sleeping for a few minutes when all this started.".

"Has he gotten any worse?", Cordelia asked as she sat down beside Angel and felt his forehead. It was burning up.

"No, but I don't think he can take it much more. Do you have any books on magical diseases? I've already asked Willow to look it up, and Giles is on his way here.".

"We're on it Buff.", Xander said as he took Cordelia by the arm and went over to the bookshelves.

Buffy sat down next to Angel again and continued her stroking of his hands and his face.

"I won't let you die Angel.", she whispered quietly. "Not now, not after everything.".

* * *

><p>Angel was sitting in the mayors office in Sunnydale. Everything was as he remembered it, the strange cabinet, the sweets in the little bowl, and of course the grinning man in his leather chair.<p>

"Welcome back Angelus.", The mayor said with his usual bright smile. "Want a candy?".

He offered tho bowl to Angel, but he shook his head as he stared at the supposedly dead man. What had happened? He had fallen asleep with Buffy in his arms, and now he was suddenly back in Sunnydale with a strangely healthy mayor. Had he leaped through time? Was he here with Faith again? Angel looked around, but the only other person in the room was the mayor.

"Faith's not here Angelus." The mayor said, suddenly serious. " I'm just here to talk to you.".

He stood up and walked around the table to lean on it and look down on the sitting Angel.

"When I said you had no future together I meant it. And when I heard of your departure I thought you had finally done the right thing. You had a destiny, and she had a future.", he shook his head like a disappointed parent before he continued. "Now look at you. You're weak, slowly dying from your endless fight. As a vampire the concept of endless is rather nice isn't it? But you will be like me now. A human who cannot die, and who won't be able to save her.".

"What do you mean?", Angel asked angrily, finding himself unable to get out of the chair to punch the mayor.

"The demon warned you. The end of times is coming, and only the vampire with a soul in an alliance with the greatest slayers of all times could have stopped it. Its rather sad.". The mayor took a candy out of the bowl and enjoyed it slowly and with too much emphasis for Angel's taste.

"So me being a vampire was the thing that would have stopped this new apocalypse?", he asked incredulously. "How does that work out?".

"Not the apocalypse boy. That stuff is just something the demons are always on about. The world won't be ended by some crazed demon, it never can and never will be. Don't you wonder why there's always a hero to save the world in the exact final moment?".

Angel stared at him confused. He had never really thought about it, he had always been caught up in the heat of the moment. Could the mayor really have a point.

"So what, none of the things we did mattered?".

"No. They didn't. The world will end when its time for it to end, and then the apocalypse, the real one, will take place. Apocalypse just means "the lifting of the veil", and in the final days of the world that will happen.".

"So what's going to happen now? Why are you here talking to me about it?".

"To warn you. I might have been a bit naughty in my days, but I thought that I could raise some more hell before it all ends. The end of days are coming, and cannot be stopped. There will be a final great war, where the vampire with a soul will have a key role. He will fight alongside either good, or evil, and in the end he will tip the balance in favor of one of the sides.".

"But if the world is going to end, then what difference will the war make?".

"Maybe none whatsoever.", the mayor said with a laugh as he took a seat in his chair again. "But that won't stop you will it?".

Angel knew he was right. At least about the last part. If it all came down to one last fight, then better to go out with a bang with Buffy by his side than just give up.

"How long do we have?", he asked, trying to keep his calm.

"The war will be sparked by some extraordinary event at the hellmouth in Sunnydale. How long the war will take is not something I'm allowed to know.".

"I have to warn Buffy.", Angel said, feeling his old resolve come back to him.

"Don't be too sure that she is the slayer you need in this war Angelus.", the mayor said, his voice suddenly full with warning. "She is strong, but she is not ready for a war. Messy things as we both know, she will have to make some hard choices, and she will have to be ready to sacrifice everything to win. And even then it's not even sure you will be able to save the world.".

"If its even the slightest chance of saving it, I will take it. And she is strong enough to make the hard choice. No one knows that better than me.", Angel said with as much defiance as he could muster.

"And will you be ready, when the time comes to make the choice?", the mayor said as he slowly reached under the desk and produced Faith's old knife. "Will you be able to sacrifice her, for the greater good?".

* * *

><p>Angel opened his eyes. He tried to focus them, but could at first only see darkness.<p>

After a while he realized that he was staring at his ceiling, and he jerked himself up in a sitting position and then he flew up on his feet. Buffy who had been sleeping next to him was thrown off the bed with the force of his sudden wake. Her scream as she fell out of the bed sent Giles, Cordy and Xander all running into his bedroom, though they all turned away quickly once they saw him standing naked in his bead.

"You're awake!", Buffy cried out as she got up from the floor.

"And rather naked.", Giles added to the wall he was inspecting rather closely.

"Oh...", Angel said as he looked down and found it to be true. "Sorry. Just give me a sec.".

He quickly picked up his clothes from the chair where someone must have put them for some reason.

"Why did you take my clothes off?", he asked Buffy, thinking she must have seen it as a prank.

"Cause you were sweating through your best shirt.", she said as she approached him and let her hand softly slide down his back just to feel his skin.

"Wait a minute,", he said as his thoughts finally caught up with him. "What's Giles doing here, I thought only Xander came here with you?".

"You've been in some sort of strange fever for three days now Angel.", she said, making him look at her as if she was having a laugh.

He raised his eyebrow and searched her eyes for some hint of the coming outburst of laughter, but she remained serious. Her look of relief seemed to say it all, and she remained close to him for the rest of the day, apparently watching him for any signs of a return of the strange fever.

"So, Giles...", Angel asked a few hours later when they were all sitting in his kitchen to eat dinner. "Any ideas what could have done this so quickly?".

"Lots of things,", Giles answered, finding that once again the old gang seemed to have found their way back to each other. The only one missing was Willow, but she was combining her studies with her search for Angel's disease from the college. "That demon that cured you is an assassin for some very dark powers, so side effects had to be expected.".

"A week later?", Buffy asked unbelieving, that seemed rather farfetched even for Giles. "And the moment he closes his eyes, all this seems like a bad joke someone is having.".

"I agree.", Cordelia consented, speaking to the rest for the first time since they had arrived in LA. "I mean, you didn't see anything special while you were out?".

Angel shook his head. He wasn't ready to tell them of his meeting with the mayor any time soon, in case it turned out to be some evil trick to get him off his path.

"Great!", Buffy said with a smile while she handed Xander a tray with croissants. "At least it seems to be gone for real now, and that's all that matters.".

She couldn't help but think back to when she had been hostess to the thanksgiving dinner. That had been barely more than a week ago, the day before Angel's cure, and they had all been gathered then too. Cordelia might not be a good substitute for Will, but she had become much nicer in her time in LA.

The dinner was nice and uneventful, and at the end Buffy and Angel left for patrol while Giles went back to the hotel room he had rented. This left Cordelia and Xander alone in Angel's apartment, and quite a few awkward attempts at a conversation followed.

"Cordy...", Xander began at the exact time that Cordelia started to say his name too.

They broke off in mutual embarrassed laughter.

"You know we could have some fun while you're in LA,", Cordelia said with a smile. "I know a nice club, much better than the old Bronze.".

"Your condescending attitude towards our hometown has something irresistible about itself.", Xander joked, trying not to think to hard if it counted as cheating to go out for drinks with his ex-girlfriend.

Cordelia lit up into her old happy self for the first time in weeks again and took Xander's arm and half led, and half dragged him outside to her car. It was time's like this that reminded Xander why he had liked her so much. Her energy was even greater and more infectious than Buffy's when she chose not to be the condescending queen of Sunnydale.

* * *

><p>"That's enough patrolling for the night, don't you think?", Angel asked Buffy while they were strolling down another dark alley, leaving her standing there open mouthed.<p>

"_You_ suggest we take an early night?", she asked doubtingly, this didn't sound like her ever serious boyfriend.

"Nah. Just no patrolling.", Angel answered, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. "I was thinking of this place I know. Great music, nice people, cheap drinks and best of all; demon free.".

He smiled down to the beautiful blond girl in his arms, and wondered why he hadn't thought about doing something like this earlier. She seemed completely stunned by the strange new behavior in Angel, though in all fairness it was something she really liked.

"You're not under some spell are you?", she asked suspicious, feeling his forehead for signs of fever.

"Remember when I said I wanted you to be with someone who could take you into the light? Well that man is me nowadays, and I think that taking my girlfriend out to have a nice time after a long day is something normal people do.".

Buffy thought that if this was some wonderful dream then she should just tag along and see how good it could get.

The second big surprise of the night was when she and Angel entered the club and found Xander and Cordy in one of the large sofas, having too much fun for what Buffy thought Xander could be legally entitled to with his girlfriend still in Sunnydale. Though if it came down to it she would definitely prefer Xander together with Cordelia than with that ex-demon with all her strange ways. Though on second thought she wasn't too sure that Cordy didn't have some demon blood herself.

"Hi guys.", she said as she and Angel walked up to them, giving Xander a quick reproachful look.

"Eeeh, hi guys.", he stuttered nervously. "Already done with patrolling?".

"Oh yeah.", Angel said, taking Buffy by her hips and steering her towards the dance floor, leaving both Cordelia and Xander behind with unbelieving and amused looks on their faces.

But no one was more surprised than Buffy once Angel showed off some surprisingly good dance-moves. She had never seen him like this ever before, so full of energy and of... Life. After a while Xander and Cordelia joined them, and at the end of the night Buffy was more tired and happy than she had been since the day after thanksgiving. And she was definitely drunker than she had been her entire life, with Angel buying them all rounds as no one else was actually allowed to buy any alcohol.

When they left they had to split a cab as no one was in shape to drive, and stopped to drop off Xander and Cordelia at her place. Buffy was so out of it and occupied with kissing Angel at the moment that she didn't think about that much. Once they reached Angel's apartment neither of them could control themselves much longer, ripping of their clothes all the way to the bedroom. What followed was a result of the mixture of the desperate longing they had felt for each other ever since "that night" and the alcohol-infused ecstasy of the past four hours almost nonstop dancing.

* * *

><p>"<em>Wake up Angelus<em>.", a voice hissed in Angel's ear.

He flew up from the bed, but found only a sleeping Buffy at his side.

"_You were supposed to save the world._", the voice whispered again. It seemed inhuman, rasping like lizard and at the same time a deep dark echo. "_Now look at you. Back to your days of drinking and debauchery, and dragging the slayer down with you as well_.".

"Who are you? And what do you want with me?", Angel asked, his anger starting to build now that he found that he had his first human hangover in 242 years.

"_I am no one, and every one. Everything and nothing_.".

"I'm not in the mood for silly games.", Angel said as he reached for his broadsword.

And suddenly something appeared before him. A dark shape sat at the kitchen table, it looked like the shadow of someone in a hooded robe, too dark to be colored, yet to real to be a mirage. The only color was two dots of burning red right where the eyes were supposed to be.

"_Sit down with me Angelus_.", it said as it beckoned him to sit down on the opposite side of the table.

Angel looked back one more time on the sleeping Buffy, but decided that she probably wouldn't handle having a dark shape come into their bedroom to talk to her boyfriend. So he got out of bed and sat down opposite of the shape.

"I will start with my usual questions; Who are you? And what do you want?", he poured himself some coffee, finding it rather good for him now that his vampire sensitivity to it was gone.

"_As to who I am.; you could call me the messenger, as I am merely a conduit to higher powers._". The shape played around with a fork, letting it drift through the air, before he let it drop back to the table. "_What I want is to thank you for your choice. My masters are rather pleased that you finally returned to your old self again_.".

"Returned? I'm still human aren't I?", Angel asked puzzled.

"_That is a minor detail. You have however left that self pitying behind, and once again embraced life. Now we ask you to join us in the coming war, to take your rightful place among us_.".

"What if I refuse?".

"_That will be your choice. But we know you will join us, it has been foretold, it is written and can not be changed. We need only wait for you._".

"It's going to be a long wait then.", Angel said with a smug smile.

"_Not as long as you might think. Things are already in motion, the board is set and the players ready for the first move._".

"What players?", Angel asked, feeling a great unease at the matter-of-fact tone the Messenger used. "What has been set in motion?".

"_When you ceased to be the legendary vampire with a soul, the first blow was struck._", the messenger looked over to the sleeping Buffy. "_Now the war will begin, and soon you and your woman will have to choose your side. Will you be on the side that destroys the world, the one that tries to save it, or the one that will actually save it? Remember that there will be more than two sides to this conflict, and you don't want to choose the wrong one_.".

And with that said the Messenger melted into itself and vanished. And at the exact same moment Xander ran into the apartment, his face pale with terror and fear. Buffy jumped out of the bed the second the door slammed open and looked at Xander as he tried to catch his breath.

"Xander, what's happened?", she asked, feeling extremely uneasy with Giles this frightened looking.

"It's...", he panted. "It's..."

"It's what?", Angel asked, terror gripping him as well as he feared that his strange dream and the strange visit might actually be true.

"It's full on war.".

* * *

><p><strong>So, what did you think? Please leave a review and let me know.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3 It's just the beast

**It's just the beast under your bed**

**Thanks for all the positive reviews:D It really cheers a poor university student up on the dark northern nights to read your reviews on my small contribution to the most epic of all love tales. **

**Hope you like chapter three as much. **

**Here it is anyway;) :**

* * *

><p>"Will you drop it Angel?", Buffy asked as she tried to inspect her lunch.<p>

They were in the college cafeteria, and she had had to endure Angel's extremely bad mood for the entire day. Well, in all fairness it wasn't the best idea to run into the bedroom of your friends and shouting something about war when they are in this line of work. And as they found out the "full on war" turned out to be an extremely pissed off Anya screaming through the phone at an equally furious Cordelia after one of Anya's demon friends had told her about Xander's upcoming infidelity.

Xander defended himself with the fact that nothing had actually happened, and that the demon had told on him only because of his intent. Nevertheless this earned him a scolding from Angel that would have left Buffy's mother envious, and after that Angel hadn't stopped muttering about incompetent men and crazy women of all breeds, something that offended Buffy a little as she tried her best to smooth things out. At the end of the night Xander left for Sunnydale together with Giles who couldn't hide as small grin at the poor guys upcoming meeting with an angry ex-demon, and Buffy followed in the morning together with Angel.

She understood why Angel was angry (even though she had never heard him raise his voice at someone before in her life), but she wanted the day to be perfect. She intended to show Angel around the campus, and introduce him to some of the new friends she had made here.

First up was her's and Willow's room, and as Angel entered she noticed the second big change; he could come and go as he wanted, no longer bound to the problem of having to be invited into every home. Next up was Willow herself, dragging the shy Tara along to introduce her to Angel. To Buffy's disappointment Angel wasn't the calm and cool man she had described him as, instead he gave Tara a big smile and a little wink as he shook her hand and remarked on her new and pretty dress. Willow raised her eyebrows a little as she caught Buffy's eyes, and they both made a silent agreement to talk thoroughly later.

After a while Angel suggested that they shouldn't stay inside all day, and proposed that they might take a few hours and just take it easy on the great lawn in front of the main hall. Buffy agreed happily, and thought it must all be the changes he had to adjust to in the last two weeks. Becoming human after over two-hundred years as a vampire couldn't be a cakewalk, and his never-ending yearning to go outside whenever the sun was out could be understood. But what she didn't understand was how much more energy he seemed to have. Not only had he been working out a lot more (and she didn't mind that either), but he was always full of ideas of what they could do next instead of being content to simply _be_ with her.

Buffy couldn't help but smile as she laid there with her head on Angel's chest. She was lying on a blanket Angel had produced from his car, eating ice cream and glancing at several envious looking girls. And she also noticed how Angel placed his arm around her waist whenever he caught some guy looking at her. It was all so _normal_, so out of someone else s life. And whenever things seemed too good to be true, then she knew from personal experience that they always were.

"Ehrm... Hi Buffy.", came the unsure voice of a boy drifting into Buffy's little cloud-filled world.

When she opened her eyes she caught sight of Riley, the big and handsome PA from professor Walsh's class. She remembered how she and him had started to bond, but with Angel's return to humanity she had forgotten all about him.

"Hi Riley.", she said as she got up, hearing only the faintest grunt of disapproval from Angel. "This is Angel.".

"Angel?", Riley asked with the beginning of a smirk, but the cold stare he got from Angel quickly dampened his urge to smile.

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend.", he finished hesitantly.

"Disappointed?", Angel said with and evil grin as he put his arms around Buffy's waist.

But that only stirred something angry inside of her, and she pushed Angel's arm aside and gave Riley an apologetic look.

"Angel, stop it. Riley is a good friend, be nice.", she shot Angel a sharp look before she turned back to Riley, though subconsciously she leaned a little against Angel's chest.

He grunted a silent approval and stood there quietly while Riley and Buffy caught up on the stuff she had missed in Professor Walsh's class, something Angel found rather boring. It wasn't that he didn't like psychology, it was simply the fact that he had been alive for every big discovery there had been on the subject and wasn't too keen on getting it told back to him again. After a while Buffy and Riley said goodbye, and Angel gave a small nod to Riley as well, thinking it couldn't hurt to be nice to Buffy's friends.

They spent about another hour on the lawn before Buffy finally had to acknowledge the fact that she had a lot of studying to catch up on. But as they turned to walk back to Angel's car, everything froze. Buffy stopped with her face frozen in the middle of a laugh, and everyone else around Angel seemed frozen in time. Even a bird that had just taken off from a branch in one of the trees was now hovering in the air. As he looked around he couldn't see anything at first, but then the dark shape of the messenger appeared for a fraction of a second, standing below one of the trees and looking straight at Angel. As soon as he had appeared he vanished, and time began to flow again.

Angel stared at the spot where the Messenger had been, but nothing seemed to be out of place or wrong. He looked at Buffy, and decided that he definitely had to bring this up somehow. But how would she react to hearing that he was being visited by the henchmen of evil? And then a whisper carried through the air to him, cutting through marrow and bone as it pierced his body with its screeching sound, though no one else seemed to hear it.

"_Time is running out Angelus... Be ready."._

That was the final drop for Angel as he felt a strange rage grow in his chest, that thing would die a very gruesome death if he ever caught it around his girl again. Though in all fairness it would probably have to be Buffy who would do the killing as he was about as useful against demons as a butter knife if he continued to have strange diseases to keep him asleep like a baby.

He said goodbye to Buffy as he climbed into his car and took off towards Giles' place, thinking he was the one man who might be able to figure it out. Though he wasn't too sure if it would be such a good idea as the watcher would probably do something stupid if he thought Buffy might be in danger.

_Oh well_, he thought to himself as he dialed Giles' phone, _if the old man tries anything I'll slit his throat and drink his blood. _

* * *

><p>Who designed couches to torture you if you took a nap in them? This was really starting to annoy him. If this was what he had to expect for the next 242 years then he'd rather remained a vampire instead of falling asleep and waking up with back pain just because he wasn't sleeping "right".<p>

"How are you doing sleepyhead?", a voice from nearby asked him. It wasn't Buffy, or anyone else he knew from Sunnydale. It couldn't be...

"Spike?", Angel asked as he sat up on Giles' couch. "What the hell are you doing here?".

He found the blond vampire in the bathtub, looking as cocky as usual, even with his arms wrapped in chains.

"And why the hell are they keeping you tied up in Giles' bathroom?".

He walked over to the blond man and leaned against the sink. The last he had seen of Spike was when the man had tortured him with his psychotic friend to find out about the ring of Amara.

"Well you seem rather fresh peaches,", Spike retorted as he looked Angel up and down, looking rather displeased. "You didn't even say hi before you took that nap on the couch, seems rude not to greet an old friend".

"Last I saw you you had a guy stick some iron through my chest.", Angel said as he took out a bolt from one of Giles' reserve crossbows in the bathroom and started to twirl it through his fingers. "Maybe I should return the favor?".

He grabbed Spike by his throat and rammed the arrow into the blond vampires' chest with all the strength he could muster, rewarding him with a howl of pain from his grandchilde. He stared at the hated man for a few seconds, and then he started to twist the arrow round in the wound, making Spike scream even louder as the tip of the arrow scratched against his heart. But as he drew out the arrow to finish him off he felt strong hands close around his arm and throw him away from Spike.

As he looked up he found Buffy staring at him with a furious look on her face.

"What?", he asked, feeling a rage build up in his chest as he kicked himself back on his feet.

"What do you mean "What"?",she asked with a fire in her eyes that brought back some sense in Angel. "What the _hell_ are you doing?".

"Payback.", Angel whispered, in an almost Angelus like manner, and to Buffy it almost seemed as if his eyes flashed bright red for a fraction of a second.

"We seriously need to talk _right now_!", she said as she stomped across the room and grabbed Angel's arm to drag him with her to the kitchen.

At that moment Willow entered the room to find Buffy and Angel shouting at the top of their voices at each other, making her even angrier and more depressed than before.

"Why are you two fighting again?", she asked them exasperated, angry at how those who found true love never seemed satisfied with what they had.

"Angel went Rambo on Spike and started to torture him.", Buffy said while not letting Angel out of her burning gaze.

"His lackey spent hours ramming pokes in me!", Angel hissed back, his face red with anger. "Why the hell am I not entitled to some payback?".

"Because it's not like you. _You_ don't do stuff like this, that's Angelus' game.".

"Always Angelus. Why am I constantly compared to him? Am I not allowed to do anything because your friends will think I'm Angelus and kill me? Are you the only one who's allowed to decide weather a demon has to die nowadays?"

Willow tried to say something about all of it but Buffy and Angel interrupted her with their continued argument. She sat down on the couch and crossed her arms and pouted her mouth at the injustice of it all. Buffy had the nerve of comparing an angry and offended Angel with Angelus. Angelus would never stick an arrow into Spike's chest, he would rip out the man's heart and mail it to Drusilla.

"I wish Angelus was back,", she muttered to herself as she tried to close her ears to Buffy's renewed stream of angry shouts. "Then you would remember what a good guy he is for at least sticking around.".

And, without her knowing it, the air in the room vibrated for a second. Buffy continued to shout for a few seconds, while Angel just stared around the room as if he didn't know he had arrived there. He then looked down on the blond girl who was marshaling all the anger she had felt over his strange behavior the last few days. And when she looked up at his face for the first time in a few minutes she found him smiling down at her with a familiar and creepy grin.

"Hello lover,", he whispered as he stroked her face, staring into her green eyes. "Missed me?".

And before she could react he gave her a punch that sent her flying on the couch and into Willow, knocking them both out cold. He made a disappointed noise as he prodded the slayer with his foot.

"Out of shape lover and sloppier than usual.", he searched his pockets for something, and then searched Spike's jacket until he found a packet of cigarets. "Have to shape up if you think you could have me back after all that screaming. And I hadn't even cut you yet.".

He walked back into the bathroom and let some ashes drop on Spike's pants as he leaned over him. He just stared at him for a while, making Spike finally snap.

"Well?", he shouted and held up his chained hands. "Are you gonna let me out of here or not?".

Angelus shook his head slightly before he turned and walked out the front door, calling back to the enraged vampire.

"If you get yourself caught like a lamb, then you might as well get slaughtered like one.".

* * *

><p>Riley crossed the stream with his five man team, and once again took out the scanner to search for traces. They had tracked something for the last three hours all over Sunnydale, something that had left over a dozen dead and mutilated bodies in its wake. But the creature seemed far more refined than anything else they had tracked, and they never found any actual traces other than the corpses lying in alleys and in the sewers.<p>

But now they had finally found its track, and it led them higher and higher above Sunnydale. He wasn't sure he even wanted to capture this beast, the bodies and their faces frozen with their last screams haunted his mind as he followed the small drops of blood on the dusty road. He released the safety on his gun and signaled to his men to spread out as they found what was on the top of the hill: an old mansion. That had to be where the demon was hiding!

As they closed in around the mansion they found that someone was indeed inside, as light was coming out from the windows.

"What do you think it is, sir?", Forrest asked him as they reached the garden and slowly descended the steps into it. "A vampire?".

"I have never heard of a vampire who lives above ground, with windows that size.", Riley muttered back as he hid behind the fountain. "Maybe it's a werewolf? The moon is right for it.".

"But those people looked like they had been killed slowly.", Forrest argued. "When was the last time a werewolf took the time to even chew?".

Riley took out a grenade and prepared himself to toss it inside the mansion.

"We can find out what it is once we killed it.", he muttered as he leaned round the fountain and tossed the grenade through one of the windows.

The blast shattered every window in the great room, and Riley and his men immediately rushed inside to clear it out. What they didn't notice was the dark shadow sitting on the roof, flashing a victorious grin as it ran across the roof and dropped down in the garden. Riley and his men found the mansion completely empty, though they found definite traces that someone had lived there. They were just about to clear out when Forrest called out to Riley.

"Sir! You need to see this.".

Riley walked over to Forrest who was standing next to a bed, and looked down on what he was pointing at. It was a picture of Buffy.

"How come the demon has a picture of her?", Forrest asked suspicious, and a voice from the entrance to the garden answered him.

"Because she's my gal.", Angelus said as he stepped into the light of the mansion, and he wasn't alone.

* * *

><p>Buffy picked herself off of the floor and immediately felt like vomiting. Everything was spinning, and her head was throbbing like mad. Thankfully it soon abated thanks to her Slayer powers, but another pain replaced it; Spike's whining.<p>

"What a twat", he grunted from the bathroom. "He's freed and leaves me behind. I'll have his guts for garters!".

"Shut up Spike.", Buffy shouted to him as she checked on Willow. "She's all right. What the hell just happened to Angel?".

"Went back to my kind again cutie.", Spike said with a vicious grin. Even if the man was a prick, then at least he was a prick to everyone. You could never say that Angelus had ever discriminated anyone based on their gender or color, he killed everyone with equal joy.

"How's that possible?", she asked as she went into the bathroom and stared intently at Spike, twirling a stake threateningly through her fingers.

"Don't ask me slayer.", he said defensively as he followed the stake with his eyes. "It's not as if I could have done it?".

Buffy's cold stare seemed to suggest otherwise but she nodded nonetheless and quickly left the apartment to find Angel before he harmed anyone. Spike was once again left alone in the bathtub, and he muttered something about "no one caring about him.".

After a few minutes Willow woke up again, and tried to get her bearings.

"What happened?", she asked the apartment at large, and Spike's voice drifted over from the bathroom.

"Angel has lost his marbles once again and Blondie went after him for some melodramatic love-spat.".

"Feels like we are back in high school. Why don't we just all go back there and live as normal teenagers with all the normal crappy problems?", she muttered, once again not noticing the slight blur in the air.

* * *

><p>Willow didn't know what had happened, but she felt funny somehow.<p>

She was standing beside the water fountain when Cordelia walked by with what had to be the new girl, talking about fashion and boys. She quickly walked away to avoid another one of Cordelia's angry rants about her clothes. How could she help that her mother picked them for her? At least she was comfortable in hers. Cordelia looked like she was biting a lemon every time she took a step in her high heels.

As Willow stepped outside into the bright Sunnydale summer day, she was met with the sight of another group of new kids. Though these seemed rather more intimidating than the smiling blond girl Cordelia had been guiding round. There were four of them, two girls and two boys, and they had to be couples as well as they ascended the steps with the boys having a hand round the waist of the girls.

One boy was very muscular, tall and brown haired, and the other one had spiked blond hair and seemed quite well trained as well, though not as tall as the dark-haired one. The dark-haired boy had his arms around the shoulders of a stunningly handsome but rather short blonde who radiated the same superiority as Cordelia, rather than the happiness of the other blond girl she had seen in the halls. The other girl walked together with the blond boy, and she was quite tall, with long dark hair and a stunning red ad black dress, giving off a rather goth look as opposed to the punk style of her boyfriend.

They walked together talking and laughing, seemingly rather bored with their surroundings. Their air of confidence and superiority (not to mention the rather intimidating size of the dark-haired boy) made all the other kids automatically navigate around them . The blond girl turned to the other couple as they paused next to Willow, who had sat down on the steps to the school to eat her lunch.

"Do we have to go to school?", she said with a soft, what in Willow's experience men would call "sensual", voice. "Can't we just hang out in the park or something? Come on Dru! I know you like to study, but this day is just too nice to be cooked up inside.".

The blond boy looked at the girl called Dru, which was a rather funny name Willow thought as she tried to look invisible next to them, and spoke with a thick British accent.

"Yeah love. I'm bored just looking at this place.", he took out a packet of cigarets, _on school property_, and gave one to the tall guy as well. "Let's get out of here before the teachers try to learn us something.".

He gave Dru several kisses on her neck, making Willow blush and the girl giggle.

"You know we shouldn't do that William, we have to talk to the principal today.", she said, also in a British accent though her's was rather more noble sounding than the boy called William. "They are very fond of paperwork here in America.".

_Aha_, Willow though triumphantly, they were from overseas. She wondered weather they were here as exchange students, or if their parents had moved here with them. But it seemed strange that four families moved to Sunnydale from England all at once.

"What do you say Liam?", William asked the tall guy, who had remained silent while inspecting the school sign. "Wanna raise some hell, or sit through hell instead?".

The boy looked down at them and gave them a smile, but it was rather cold for Willow's taste and she immediately disliked him. She saw that the rest of the group looked to him for the decision, marking him as their leader. No wonder the short blond girl had such a superior look, she was dating the most handsome man Willow had ever seen who radiated force and coolness.

_Wait a minute_, she thought, _am I jealous of a big hunky guy_? She'd probably do something embarrassing soon as well if she already had a crush on the new boy.

"They miss-spelled the Latin.", he said with a slight Irish accent, taking a deep drag on his cigaret and looked at them all in turn before he gave the blond girl a little kiss before he spoke to her. "I hate to side with miss perfect, but Dru's got a point Darla.".

_Darla? What a stupid name_, Willow thought not in any way jealous. And as the new guys walked inside the school the other new girl, the one who had talked to Cordelia, walked outside. To Willow's surprise, and slight horror at being so close to one of the cool kids, she sat down next to Willow and gave her a bright smile as she introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Buffy.", she said extending her hand to Willow, who shook it hesitantly and slightly fearful. "I've been told you are the one to see if one needs help with school.".

Willow found to her big surprise that the girl was actually very likable, and that she didn't even care that Willow wasn't one of the cool kids. When Jesse and Xander showed up she stayed, even though Cordelia scorned their little group. She even promised to meet them all at the bronze later on.

Willow was happier than she had been in a long time. Buffy had been so nice, though Willow was a little jealous that the new boy Liam had checked her out during history. But Buffy hadn't even noticed (to Willow's slight enjoyment his girlfriend had) and afterward she had spent the entire lunch-break with Willow and Xander.

But she couldn't shake a feeling, a feeling she knew all too well; something was wrong. Usually she felt it before and after every test, but this time she felt constantly out of place. She caught herself thinking about Xander and Cordelia's twisted relationship, even though they had never had one. And when she had caught Liam looking at Buffy she had wondered weather they were having another lovers-spat, something that felt like someone else s thought. All in all she felt that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, she just couldn't figure why? She was in high-school where she used to be, her friends were all here, she had even made a new one. How come this could all be wrong? She dismissed her feeling as her normal anxiety about meeting new people, and walked home thinking happily about showing the Bronze to Buffy.

* * *

><p>"Now this is more like it!", William said as he wandered into the tightly packed Bronze. "But am I the only one who's got a feeling we've been here before?".<p>

Drusilla who had been quiet the whole time detached herself from the group and slowly wandered over to an older man who leaned against the railing on the floor above. The other new girl who he'd been talking to had just started to walk away after a brief conversation with him. Drusilla came to a halt beside him and casually leaned close to his ear.

"You are the big bad watcher aren't you?", she whispered in his ear, making him jump as he hadn't noticed her approach.

"Who the bloody hell are you?", he said, wiping his glasses nervously.

"I'm out of place dearie, as is everyone else.".

She leaned over the rail and looked across the room with a disappointed frown before she turned back to the watcher and gave him a cold stare.

"The witch has messed around with magic again,", she said with an angry note in her voice, as if he was a parent whose child had messed something up again. "This is the past, and we do not belong in it. At least not in this way.".

"You mean someone from the future has changed the past?", he said, a hint of excitement in his voice as he turned around and really took in the sight of the tall, dark girl before him. "Or is this a temporal fold in the existing reality?".

Drusilla simply stared at him as if he was talking Chinese. She knew she was technically insane, but she wasn't in _this_ body, and that really messed with her. Knowing one is actually crazy, while at the same time not being it is something that can really mess up ones day. When you're crazy you're happily unaware of it.

She grabbed the watcher and led him to a dark corner of the Bronze and sat him down in one of the chairs while she took a seat opposite him.

"The little witch in the red blue skirt and red hair has to change us back again, but she must wish it. If she doesn't then we are caught here forever. And I _don't_ like the present, the future is _much_ more fun.".

Giles was impressed at how much the girl seemed to know, and he was also a little disturbed by the way she seemed to talk in that rather childish voice. She had to be another witch, or a bringer of omens. Otherwise how come she was the only one aware of what had happened?

"What do you mean by "wish it"?", he asked, trying to discern the little red-head who sat alone at a table on the other side of the room. "Has she been granted a wish by a demon? Did she sacrifice a virgin to become young again?".

"No dearie, she was left by her love and she wanted to be free of the pain.", the girl looked Giles in the eyes and he could see the glint of madness in them. "But she can't be. She must give up everything to not feel the pain any more, and she isn't ready... not yet.".

"So should we just go up to her and make her change it all back?". Giles thought it sounded too easy.

"Yes.", came the short answer.

"So why did you come to me?", he asked as they stood up and walked across the room. " Couldn't you ask her yourself?".

"I wanted to tell you something, something you have to remember after all this.", but she didn't say anything, and Giles looked at her thinking she might be pulling his leg after all.

"Now see here young lady, what is with all this cryptic nonsense?".

"I will tell you after the girl has made the wish to turn everything _back_.".

And so they crossed the room to Willow's table, and as blatant as if she was asking about homework Drusilla walked up to her.

"Wish for everything to return to normal.", she commanded Willow in a regal tone, making Willow look at her as if she was insane.

"Ehm, I don't want to.", she said hesitantly, looking up at the approaching Giles. "Hi Mr. Giles, what are you doing in here?".

"Hello,", he said, trying to to figure out how to put it all more delicately. "Would you please be so kind as to make a pretend wish for us? It is something we are doing for fun on her first day here.".

Willow looked from Giles to Drusilla and decided that he was probably telling the truth, what with her strange eerie voice and her tendency not to blink while she stared at someone.

"Ehrm... I wish...", she stuttered, before she finally mustered the strength to talk in front of the librarian and the strange girl. "I wish everything to return to normal?".

They seemed to wait for something, but Willow couldn't figure out what. Finally the dark girl turned to her again.

"You didn't want it, you have to want what you're saying.".

And she started to advance on Willow, making her extremely nervous as she came closer and closer with her bulging grey eyes.

"I wish for everything to be normal, I wish for everything to be normal, I really do!", she said quickly as the girl finally stopped with her nose barely an inch from Willow's face.

The girl immediately turned to the librarian and whispered something in his ear.

"They are coming for him, and he will lead the world into darkness. _This_ is Angel's hour.".

And everything around them dissolved.

* * *

><p>Giles found himself sitting in his car again, on his way to his home to meet with Angel.<p>

That girl had been Drusilla, he was sure of it. Angel had said she could see the future, and now she had said something about Angel's own future.

_Should he tell him, should he tell Buffy, or should he keep her dark prophecy to himself?, _he thoughtas he pulled to the side of the road and stopped his car.

* * *

><p><strong>Always nice to start the new year with some fresh drama and a dark prophecy. <strong>

**I figured that as the world is predicted to end this year we might have a real "end of the world" story for Buffy. Hope I manage to finish it before the Mayas start our doomsday;) **

**Love your reviews and hope you will tell me what you thought about this chapter as well.**

**Have a great new year Bangel fans:D**


	4. Chapter 4 We've all got issues

**We've all got issues**

**Hi guys. I know I haven't written in a long while but I just had to take a break from all things Buffy related for a while cause I didn't want to spoil the show for me by over-watching it. Also this year has been crazy with a huge workload from my university so I haven't been able to write anything substantial for months. But now I'm back on track and I have a whole new set of ideas for this fanfic, and I think we are going into the epic soon.**

**So here is chapter 4 of Every rose has a thorn, hope you enjoy:)**

* * *

><p>Giles and Wesley were once again sitting in Giles' house, examining the prophecy that Angel had found during his attack on Wolfram &amp; Hart.<p>

Three months had passed since the night with Willows incident, and they had not been happy months for anyone. Buffy and Angel had had almost no time together as Wolfram & Hart had been upping the game with several attacks both on Angel and on his coworkers (which by now included not only Cordelia but Wesley, a fierce fighter called Gunn, and unknown to Buffy: Spike), and the increased activity had drawn large numbers of demons to LA who wanted to be part of the fight. As for Buffy she'd had more encounters with the mysterious paramilitary group called the Initiative, and to all of their surprise they had found out that several of the students at UC Sunnydale (including the boy called Riley) were actually members of this group.

The Initiative had started to work together with Buffy after her revelation to Riley of her being the slayer, but Giles could not shake the feeling that there was something strange about the Initiative and their habit of capturing rather than destroying the demons.

As for the relationship between Buffy and Angel, it had cooled down considerably after Riley told them of how he had fought a vampiric Angel, even though they had explained to him and the Initiative that it had all just been caused by Willow's magic. Angel had not handled his sudden return to a soulless vampire too good and had departed almost without saying a word to any of the others, but they could all see the anger he had in his eyes when he looked at Willow. So from what Giles could discern Buffy and Angel had had a big row over the phone about Willow's handling of magic, and since then he had refused to return to Sunnydale.

Giles stood up and walked over to the window to look out at the lights of the town, behind him he could hear Wesley stifling a yawn as he pulled up another book to reference a few symbols. Stranger things than the Initiative had been happening, and not just in Sunnydale, but from what he and Wesley had gathered it was happening across the world. A strange unrest among the demons was spreading like wildfire, as their numbers were dwindling considerably and inexplicable, but no one knew why. Even the Initiative with all their government contacts seemed clueless (unless, and Wesley agreed with him, they were fully aware but didn't want the Slayer to find out).

"Any luck?", he asked as he joined the other former watcher at the table and took up his book: _The Demon Languages of Qour'toth._

"None", Wesley answered as he quickly leafed through a few pages of his book and gazed at the scroll again. "More of this vampire with a soul, and about him having an important role in the apocalypse. But no specifics.".

"Perfect.", Giles said exasperated as he stared at the scroll. "We have a scroll that Angel manages to steal from the very heart of Wolfram & Hart, but it no longer applies to him so we don't know what this will do with the prophecy.".

"Chin up,", Wesley said without looking up at Giles. "Maybe this means Wolfram & Hart might finally let Angel alone now that their target has lost its value to them.".

"Or maybe it just means they won't have any qualms about killing him now that he is useless to them.", Giles pointed out, while he slowly cleaned his glasses. "What about that symbol? Have you found anything new?".

"I thought I did,", Wesley said, making Giles jerk back to life and look at him with hopeful eyes. "but it turned out to be useless.".

They both watched each other with tired eyes and then finally gave up for the night. Whatever this strange new phenomena that made the demons disappear might be, and whatever the prophecy could now be about, Giles felt that a storm was coming and that they would soon find themselves in the middle of it with no answers to a thousand questions.

* * *

><p>"So Angel,", Cordelia said as she hung up the phone after a long and rather sweet talk with Xander. "How is the epic love story getting on?".<p>

She sat down next to Spike on the sofa, whom to everyone's surprise (and Angel's immense irritation) was now fighting alongside them, and took a sip from her coffee. Spike was still cleaning up the Thraxus blood off of his sword, but at the mentioning of the trouble in paradise he looked up with a grin on his face.

"Yeah Angel, how's love treating you these days?", he asked in his usual cocky manner, smiling even wider as he saw Angel's furious look.

"Shut up Spike. This doesn't concern either of you.", he spoke wile almost audibly grinding his teeth.

He was still cowered in green Thraxus blood from head to toe (curtsy of Spike decapitating the monster while Angel was wrestling with it), and it was still only half past two. Apart from having to battle increasing numbers of really pissed off demons and having a marathon fight with Buffy, he was still having strange time-slips where the Messenger and at times the Mayor tried to constantly play tricks on his mind.

"I really need to sort things out with her, don't I?", he asked as he collapsed into his chair opposite of Cordelia an Spike.

"You really really do.", Cordelia said with a bright smile as she handed him and Spike their mugs with warm blood. "And just as a hint, you might not make a big deal out of the fact that you hired Spike as your new back-up.".

"Or the fact that her witchy friend is getting addicted to some seriously dangerous magic.", Spike added as he put the sword aside and picked up Angel's battle axe.

"She just pisses me off sometimes, and then she expects _me _to apologize.", Angel said, trying to keep calm.

Angel stretched and felt his bones audibly crack as the wear and tear from the fight made itself apparent. Sometimes he missed being a vampire, when everything hurt less and his mere strength and reputation was enough to intimidate most enemies. Nowadays he had to take care to sleep and eat enough so he wouldn't get too tired, or else his ability to heal was severely diminished. But in the last few months this ability had increased considerably, and now he healed almost instantly. Although this meant little against some opponents of the more clawed and massive kind, and so his unholy alliance with Spike had come to be, which meant that his job was made easier.

The strange feeling his friends were having about his slow change in personality was something he dismissed out of hand, though at times he couldn't help but wonder weather he would ever have been this petty with Buffy, or this casual in aligning himself with dark forces for the greater good. But she wasn't so perfect either, with that vengeance-demon hanging around, though he had to admit that he enjoyed the drama between her, Xander and Cordy.

"Of course you have to apologize,", Spike said. "You're the bastard who managed to make every single mistake a bloke can make when it comes to fights with women.".

"Says the man whose girl went off with a chaos demon.", Angel retorted with a sneer.

"And that made me all the wiser as to how women work.", Spike said in an almost sage like manner, while Cordy let her glance alternate between them while a smile grew in the corner of her mouth.

"Oh please", she finally cried out, barely stifling a laugh. "You two don't have a clue "as to how women work". And for the record I'm not telling you, that's just something you have to figure out on your own. But as to your little drama with Buffy I just have one thing to say.".

"Yes?", Angel asked, hanging on her answer as if it was a lifeline.

She didn't say anything until she had walked over to the wall, picked up the phone and shoved it into Angel's chest.

"Tell her how big of an idiot you've become, that you want to be a better person and that you will make it up to her by letting her pummel you for as long as she likes.".

Angel tried to form the words that he wasn't exactly strong enough to withstand an actual fist-fight with Buffy. But he gave in under the combined stares of Spike and Cordy, rolled his eyes as to the conspiracy of the world to constantly make him into every type of bad-guy imaginable, before he finally dialed Buffy's number.

He waited for a while, but she didn't pick up the phone. When the beep came he tried to form an intelligible sentence while trying to do his best to explain himself.

"Hi Buffy, it's me... Angel. I'm sorry for the past months, but I just had to get away from Sunnydale to clear my mind. I didn't mean for it to be so long. Anyway I'm really sorry, and I was wondering if I could come up and visit you sometime soon? Bye".

He hung up the phone, rounding on his two employees who looked too pleased with themselves for his taste.

"Cordy, you take Gunn and clear out that nest of vampires we got tipped about this morning. And you come with me Spike.".

He walked over to the hatch he used whenever he had to patrol with Spike during daylight, and put his long black coat on.

"Where are we going?", Spike asked as he followed Angel through the sewers.

"Singing.", Angel answered with a smile, thinking that what he needed now was that green, singing, demon Lorne's help with his situation.

* * *

><p>Spike and Angel had barely walked more than a few blocks along the sewer, until they both felt a weird presence. Something was buzzing like an old computer, and at the same time it sounded like someone was breathing heavily. As they rounded the next corner and came to a crossroad (or cross-sewer) they finally saw what the noise was.<p>

It was a yellow demon with strange spikes on its head, but that wasn't the weird thing. It seemed to be partly made up of machine parts, with the left leg completely machine-like and half the face and most of its chest covered in a metal plate and strange devices. The demon had a zombie like stare as it gazed from Angel to Spike, while it breathed heavily but slowly, making its strange bare chest rise and fall.

"What the bloody hell is that thing?", Spike asked as the demon slowly went into an attacking stance.

"Looks like the thing Buffy said had attacked her and Cordy two years back.", Angel answered as he watched the demons wrists open up and two serrated knives grow out. "He must have gotten an upgrade since then.".

They didn't have time to say much more as the cyborg started to throw the strange knives at them with amazing speed and aim. Angel got two knives in his stomach and one in his right thigh, while Spike, who had tried to duck for cower, got one in his side and three in his back. They both managed to limp into the tunnel from where they had come and tried to loose him in the tunnels, but the cyborg seemed to be able to track them both with ease. So they tried a new tactic.

As the cyborg jogged along the endless sewers, with constant turns, bends, crossings, and the occasional pit, it found Angel seemingly desperately trying to get through a gate. It slowed down, and grew two new knives ready to skewer Angel with them. But as it approached him, Spike who had been standing on the overhanging entrance to the tunnel, smashed his sword right through the back of the cyborgs head where it wasn't protected by metal. The thing didn't utter a sound as it collapsed onto the floor, and the electric lights across its body slowly died out one by one.

"What happened to the regular guys?", Spike asked as he prodded it with his foot. "You know; demons, vampires... blue things that zapped people.".

* * *

><p>"Remember when Buffy ran away and we all had to go out slaying?"<p>

Xander and Cordelia were sitting in Angel's kitchen, and Xander had just finished a long report about Buffy's latest slaying. He had just arrived from Sunnydale, and seeing as Angel investigations and the Scoobies were working more closely nowadays, Cordelia couldn't help but think back to old times.

"Do I?", Xander answered, first smiling happily and then a look of dread took over his face. "Lot of patrolling without a slayer.".

"Haha, I think we were doing OK for a couple of normal teenagers on the hunt for monsters.", Cordelia laughed. "And I remember you were quite the vampire hunter. Nighthawk.".

"Yeah.", Xander agreed, taking another sip from his tea. "Our lives sure changed a lot these last few years.".

They sat in silence for a few more moments, giving each other occasional glances. And then suddenly, just like it had always been with those two, they flung themselves on each other and started to kiss each other heatedly. The kissing continued for a good long while until suddenly the sewer hatch opened up and the cyborg was flung into the room, making both Xander and Cordelia let out a high pitched scream.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist.", Spike called out as his head appeared. "S' just us."

"We knew that,", Xander countered embarrassed. "We tried to practice our screams for Halloween.".

He walked over to the cyborg and tried not to gag as some green pus oozed out of a wound.

"I really miss the Mayor.".

Angel followed Spike and they both lifted the cyborg onto the table in the living room. The first thing they noticed was that he had a belt full of pouches, and these in turn were filled with syringes, handcuffs and a stake.

"I don't think he was there by accident.", Spike said as he picked up a syringe and smelled its content. "This is tranquilizer.".

"So he was either after you, or me.", Angel muttered, and picked up the stake. "Probably me if he was carrying this.".

They all shared glances.

"Someones watching us.", Cordelia whispered. "Someone who knew where and when to find you.".

All of them slowly filed out of the room and quickly exited the apartment, carrying the body wrapped in the carpet, wary of saying anything until they were all inside Angel's car (with the roof up, preventing Spike from catching fire).

"So if we are being watched, maybe we should find a new place.", Spike suggested, trying to light a cigarette before Cordelia plucked it out of his mouth and threw it out of the window.

"I want Wesley to have a look at this thing and tell me more about it first, then we'll decide.", Angel answered as he accelerated. "So it seems we're going back to Sunnydale.".

"Man, that place really can't let go of you.", Cordelia grumbled as she checked her reflection in a small mirror. "At least I look great in my new highlights, I don't want to get back looking like a slob.".

"Still with the big picture, huh Cordy?", Xander joked.

* * *

><p>Three persons stood in the shadows of an alley, unmoving, as if they were waiting for something. A streetlamp cast a flickering light in front of them, and illuminated billows of smoke from one of the three. Every few minutes or so the person would light a new cigarette, the small flame illuminating nothing more than the outlines of a hawkish nose and deep set eyes.<p>

After several hours someone new was walking through the dark alley towards them, this shadow was much smaller than the others, the way the person walked and the sound revealed that it was a woman in high heels. She stopped in front of the three and spoke in a slow sensual way, with a prominent posh English accent.

"Welcome dears.".

The three didn't move or answer for a while, until the shadow in the middle spoke in a rasping voice, as if he had to force the words out from between his teeth.

"The stage is set.", it rasped, as it moved toward the woman.

"Wonderful.", she exclaimed, giggling in an eerie high-pitched way. "This birthday will be such a surprise for her. She'll love it".

The smoker, who stood to the left of the first speaker spoke this time.

"She will no doubt defeat us.", he said, and it sounded like a man. He spoke very silently, almost whispering, and slowly, as if he was weighing each word. "What will this achieve?".

"The girl won't die,", the woman agreed. "But she will doubt. More than just herself.".

"Very well.", the first speaker hissed.

And so the three disappeared down the alley while the woman walked out into the street and vanished into the shadows down the road.

Buffy got up from her hiding-place and twirled the stake between her fingers. This wasn't exactly how she had planned to spend her entire night, but as she looked down on her watch she saw that it was already half past two.

"Happy birthday Buffy.", she sighed, speculating as to weather she would ever have a normal birthday again in her life.

As she dropped down from the building and headed for home, pondering how she could manage to pass this weeks history test she was supposed to have prepared for, she could see a couple walking down the street hand in hand. She couldn't help but feel a painful jealousy erupt inside her, thinking back to the past three months of coldness she'd had to endure from Angel. The phone-call she'd gotten a few hours ago had been nice, but he hadn't even mentioned her birthday.

When she finally rounded the final street-corner and came in sight of her mom's house she saw Angel's big black car stand on the driveway, with Spike leaning on it together with a big young black man, enjoying a smoke. She marched across the road and grabbed Spike by the throat just as he turned to her with a mischievous smile on his face.

"What the hell are you doing with Angel's car?", she asked him furiously, while pointing a crossbow at the other man. "And who is this? One of your vamp-pals?".

"His name's Gunn, and they're both with me.", someone said behind her.

Buffy turned and saw Angel appearing in the doorway of the house.

"Mind if we come in?", he asked, biting his lower lip nervously as the slayer he loved above everything in the world still held Spike in the air, while staring at him with open and somewhat shocked eyes.

She marched up to him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and gave him two slaps across the face as she started to scream at the top of her voice.

"THREE MONTHS! You just leave me here alone and disappear for THREE MONTHS!", She continued to rage about him criticizing her for being immature while he just packed up and left without an explanation. She was really getting into it, but unknown to her they had gotten an audience. Her mother, Cordy, Wesley, Giles, Spike, Gunn and several neighbors had walked outside to see what the shouting was all about.

"If you ever do that to me again I will break your legs, tie you up, and leave you in a cellar.", she hissed before she stormed into the house, leaving a wretched looking Angel behind, while Spike laughed loudly enough to wake the rest of the neighbors.

Angel tried to massage some feeling back into his cheeks, while trying his best to avoid all eye-contact with everyone.

"Welcome back to Sunnydale Angel.", Giles said with a pleased smile as Angel filed past him with an immensely guilty expression, which Giles couldn't help but smile at as his slayer finally got all her bottled up anger and sadness out into the open. Buffy had never been good at keeping her emotions tied up inside herself.

* * *

><p>Angel found Buffy on her porch, and as he approached her she looked up, saw who it was and fiercely jerked her head back and continued staring straight ahead. He didn't say anything, just stood there behind her, letting her cool down.<p>

He looked up and watched the night sky, and he tried to find all the signs he knew. As he watched the stars he couldn't help but feel just like them; seemingly eternal. Though many of them were dead but for their light that was still shining across space. He was also seemingly eternal, but nothing would last forever, even the legendary Angelus would meet his end one day. Everyone he knew would die one day, some sooner than others, in the end he would probably be the last one standing.

The thought that Buffy would grow old and die, while he lived on, had clawed its way into his brain ever since the standoff with the Mayor. It was that thought that had convinced him he should leave for LA, it was that thought that still made him try to distance himself from her. He knew she didn't mind now, but to someone of his age her wish to be with him seemed so naïve. She would live a normal human life, grow old and die, and even this was just a faint hope, her being the slayer.

He knew that as a slayer she had already lived far longer than any slayer in history, marking her as the probably most formidable slayer ever to been chosen. But all it took was one demon, one vampire, or even just a simple human, to have a stroke of luck, and she would die. Every day could be her last day, and every night could spell her doom. Could he really be so selfish as to jam himself into her life, reminding her every day that he had eternal life while she was merely living on borrowed time?

He looked down at her, sitting there in the pale light of the moon and the stars. Her golden hair flowing down her back, her green eyes staring into the distance, her hands tracing the outlines of the new claddagh ring they had gotten when he'd been made alive all those months ago( seeing as their old rings where either in hell or simply vanished). He traced the lines of his own ring, feeling a sting of pain at the memory of the night he had first given her one of these.

Even with all the pain and suffering of the last months he had felt that something was different than when he had been a vampire with a soul. He had felt such pain for all the suffering he had caused, every moment of every day, and with the departure to LA the loss of Buffy had almost made it all unbearable. But since becoming alive, all the pain was gone. He felt as if he had atoned for his sins, and had been given life as a reward. Now his purpose to save others wasn't driven by guilt, but rather by the force of knowing one could really make amends for one's deeds. And if he was free from the guilt, why shouldn't he give Buffy as much joy as she could have with her life so drenched in darkness and evil?

He sat down next to her, and he didn't say anything for a long while. He knew she needed the silence, but he also knew she needed his presence, so he kept all his troubling thoughts to himself and just sat there beside her, feeling a strange calm settling inside him with her so close to him.

After what seemed like an hour he got up and walked over to a flower that hung from the garden-fence, feeling the leaves with his fingers. He saw Buffy's eyes follow him, and so he plucked a flower and gave it to her as he sat down next to her again.

"Jasmine,", he said as she took the flower from his hand. "It only blooms at night.".

Buffy studied the flower for a while, but it was clear that she wanted something else than a pretty flower.

"It reminds me of us. When the only time we could meet was at night, the night got a new meaning for me. Before you, the night meant that I was free to kill and murder as I liked, and then you showed me a night without death and darkness, you made the darkest night bright.". He paused for a few seconds to collect his thoughts so he could get his point across. "I don't say all this to seem romantic, or to confuse you, I say this because without you it's not just the night that seems darker, the day has lost it's warmth, it's light, and it's hope.".

He turned to her and gave her a soft kiss on her lips.

"I'm lost without you Buffy, and I don't want to stay lost anymore.".

He took her hands as a tear slid down her cheek, and he gave her a warm smile while she found herself once more drowning in his deep dark eyes.

"I want to go out into the light with you...", and he paused again to give her another kiss. "When I'm with you, my heart is singing again.".

As he embraced her Buffy felt an immense relief, but at the same time a chill crept up her spine. She couldn't help but feel a slight deja vu just then, as if she had heard something like this before. The last thing Angel had said raced through her head over and over again;

_When I'm with you, my heart is singing again... my heart is singing again... singing again..._

And finally something went 'klick' in her brain and she saw Angel standing before her, years ago, trying to taunt her into killing him.

She could hear the echo of her voice.

"_I invited you into my home and you attacked my family!". _

"_Why not? I killed mine. I killed their friends, and their friends children. For a hundred years I offered an ugly death to everyone I met, and I did it with a song in my heart."._

Buffy felt Angel's embrace lift, and she gave him a smile as he walked back into the house again. She hadn't felt this way since the night she had gotten the ring from Angel, and as she looked down at the ring on her finger she had the same question emblazoned into her mind, tearing through the very fabric of her soul: Was this really Angel?

* * *

><p><strong>There it is. A little late, but all good things to those who wait.<strong>

**I have outlined the next 5 chapters, but I think this season will be about 10-15 chapters long.**

**Now I have an entire month before I have to work again, so expect an update soon.**


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